


A Kissing Booth? That's a Dumb Idea

by PonderRose



Category: The Kissing Booth (2018)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-07-25 07:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16192985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PonderRose/pseuds/PonderRose
Summary: As told from Elle's point of view, it's basically the story of the Kissing Booth with some major changes. Don't worry, Noah and Elle still get together in the end but in a way different way. It's essentially your bad boy turned good boy story. Also Lee is now gay.Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

Let me be frank from the start- I’m not quirky. I’m not clumsy or quirky or any of those other teen girl stereotypes. I’m just a normal, average, getting-into-a-top-university obsessed girl turned woman; but I have been known to eat candy at breakfast every so often. Everyone got that? Good. Now onto the show, er story. This is a story about the two men I loved; one I loved since the day I was born and the other I learned to love many, many years later. This is our story. 

Edinburgh Hospital, you don’t need to know how many year ago- 

Lee and I were born in the same hospital on the same day at the same time……. somehow. Our mothers were best friends, meaning that we were raised like siblings. Lee is the first boy I ever loved, and I’m the first- and only- girl he’s ever loved. It was pretty obvious that Lee was gay by the time we were six years old. We’d fight over who got to marry my Ken doll; my Barbie doll or his G.I. Joe. Like a good best friend, I let Lee win. 

A lot of memories before high school are fuzzy but of what I do remember, Lee was always there. We did absolutely everything together; went to the same school- we’d cry to our mothers non-stop if we weren’t in the same class- had the same hobbies and liked the same places. The only thing we didn’t agree on was our diets but that was a minor inconvenience. Our favorite place in the world had always been the National Scottish Museum- that huge free one downtown that looks like the Crystal Palace, or what it would have looked like I assume. We’d spend hours going through the exhibits. I liked the natural world galleries while Lee liked the science and technology collections; especially the space stuff. Hand-in-hand we’d run around and explore all day long. Those days- those brilliant, seemingly endless childhood days- will always be some of my favorite. 

Besides those glorious trips to the museum, we shared other pleasant memories. The first Christmas I remember, I was six years old and got this Barbie hair-dying kit; I was really into Barbie when I was under the age of seven. Lee accidently dyed my hair green instead of the grossly over-the-top pink. He bought me candy to make up for it, which I shared with him. The next year, I dressed up as a witch for Halloween while Lee went as a vampire. A few years later, we were hanging out at the park when some bullies started to hassle me. Lee came to my aid and his older brother, Noah, came to his. I remember when I watched Noah get into his first fist fight. I was so disturbed that I ran home crying. My mom- bless her soul- made me some hot chocolate and sat down with me on my pink princess bed. “Remember, Elle. No man will change for you, but the right man will be better for you.” 

I didn’t understand what she meant. How can someone not change but still be better? But then, I was eleven at the time so I wasn’t supposed to know about stuff like this yet. Since that day, since that fight, Noah had been in my “bad boy” books. And while most girls would love to date a quote “bad boy”, I had zero interest. In fact, I got more protective of Lee around Noah, who was progressively picking on him more as we got older. Lee and I just continued to spend more time together as the years went by, and since we were almost teenagers, our parents let us explore the city on our own more. We went everywhere: the beach, the castle, the botanical gardens, even to the university. And that was before I knew what a university was. 

At age fourteen, life began to change in some significant ways. I got my period, which didn’t seem so bad because it only lasted for two days or so. Lee started to notice how cute the guys at our school were. I totally supported him in this and we talked about boys for the first time ever. But there was one boy who was still in my bad books. That spring, Noah got into another fist fight. I stood by the side of the hall, trying desperately to make my way through the crowds of students. Lee found me. He looked at his brother in disgust then he looked at me; he could see tears forming in the corner of my eyes. “Come on,” he sighed, gently brushing some stray hairs off my face. “You don’t need to see this.” 

Lee was always there for me; through thick and thin, he was my constant companion and I his. The biggest event of our life when we turned sixteen. For our birthdays, our parents bought us airplane tickets to Amsterdam! Granted, we were only allowed to stay for one night in a very secure hostel, but it was better than nothing! And I fell in love with the city. Lee loved it too but I think he enjoyed my reaction to everything more. We went to the Rijksmuseum, rode bikes along the canals, and went to visit the miles of green countryside. While sitting on a bench overlooking the water, I leaned my head onto Lee’s shoulder. “I think I wanna live here.” He grinned and draped his arm over me. “You will, someday.” “You really think so?” “I’m sure of it.” 

We were about to enter our sophomore year of secondary school. Before the semester started, we went to the beach to soak in the last of the summer sun- or what little sun Edinburgh got. Imagine my dismay when Noah decided to come along. “My parents say we have to let him join us,” Lee rolled his light blue eyes. “Fine,” I just waved my hand in the air. “He’ll go swimming anyways. We have to talk about our club’s idea for this week’s fall fundraiser.” Lee and I were part of the writer’s club; not the most creative but something we both liked to do. I was right as ever; Noah disappeared as soon as we arrived at the coast, leaving Lee and I to sit on some big black rocks and discuss an idea. 

While Lee and I were contemplating, Noah emerged from the water. He took the opportunity to show off his bronze physique; literally, he was tanned and so swoll. I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye. Sure, he was hot as fock but I knew what lay beneath that gorgeous exterior- not much, to say the least. Noah must have caught me peering at him because he shot me one of the cockiest smirks. “Like what you see?” He directed at me. No, I frowned. “Bro,” Lee also frowned. “We’re talking. Go swim with the dolphins or something.” I then smiled at Lee. 

You see, Lee and I developed this list of friendship rules back when we were kids. Not that they still really applied or anything but we both still remembered them. Lee was responsible for rule number nine: relatives of your best friend’s were off limits. Sounded good to me! A very convenient excuse to refuse a date from a certain someone should he ever ask me. Noah pointed at me like he took Lee’s comment seriously. “Sure, I’ll go but only if Shelley here gets changed and comes with.” Screw off! I wanted to yell. He knew I hated being called “Shelley”; it wasn’t cute, it was infuriating. “We’re busy,” I simply responded turning away. 

“Whatever, just wear something hot to the party this Friday.” “This Friday? You’re going to throw a party at our house while our parents are away?” Lee sounded scandalized. “Uh yeah? When else would I hold it, asshat?” Lee was so mad that he just looked away. Noah smirked in victory but took off back into the water. I turned back to Lee with a worried expression. “Lee, a party? Are you ok with this?” “No. My parents will freak if anything happens to the house.” “You could spend the night at my place.” “Thanks, Super L,” he grinned up at me. “But I can’t leave the place in the hands of “that”.” He motioned to his brother. I nodded in understanding. 

“Then, I’ll come to you.” “What?! No, you don’t need to do that. I know how you feel about parties, Elle.” “I don’t care. I don’t want you to be there alone worrying the night away about the house.” “Ugh, fine! But no one’s making you drink,” Lee smirked. “I would never!” Seriously, I would never- I’m not that type of girl. “I know,” his eyes scrolled back to his very handsome yet very shallow brother. “It’s him I’m worried about.”


	2. He Either Talks to You with Respect or He Doesn't Talk to You At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your first day of school; Duke Tupin causes trouble leading to a very interesting interaction with Noah.

I think you can tell a lot about a person by how resourceful they are, especially in difficult situations. For example, this morning while I was getting ready for my first day of school I accidently tore my black pants, revealing my pink thong- I don’t do granny panties. But instead of wearing this hugely inappropriate skirt I had from like three years, I simply wrapped my sweater around my waist conveniently hiding the tear. 

“See? That’s what makes you special. Most girls would have just worn the skirt but not about that life,” Lee and I walked to school, arm-in-arm as usual. “Why, thank you; I think you’re special too,” I gave his arm a little squeeze. He smiled at me before looking forward and sighing. “Well, here we are- yet another year, ‘cept this time we’re sophomores.” “That means just one year to go after this.” “I guess. Still, it’s one year too many.” “By the way, Lee my darling; uh, we need to think of fundraiser ideas, like today.” “You’re so smart, I’m sure you’ll think of one by third period.” “You’re smarter than me.” “Ha! I wish,” he squeezed my arm back. 

No one paid attention to Lee or I. Lee used to get a lot of looks and side-glares when it came out in the open that he was gay. But four years later, no one really cared anymore. We just walked through the campus yard on our way to our lockers. Uh, correction- there was one guy who noticed us, or rather me. “Hey,” this loser named Duke Tupin called over to us. He was one of the popular boys with girls constantly fawning over him……. for some reason. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with him, which I think actually backfired on me. 

“Hey, look who it is; Mr. and Mrs. Fag,” Duke hollered over like a total dick. “Have a nice honeymoon this summer?” “Just ignore him,” I told Lee, leading him down the road away from the school’s-top-jerk. “Hey, hey, I’m talking to you, bitch!” This made Lee stop in his tracks. He turned to give Duke the deadliest of glares. “What did you call her?” He asked, dangerously. “Awe,” Duke started to approach us, making a false sad face at Lee. “I didn’t know that being gay also meant you were deaf as well.” This angered me- it angered me a lot. “How dare you?!” I turned to him, clearly upset. “I’m just sayin’, if you’re not his bitch, you should at least be one of ours,” Duke then said to me like his insult to Lee didn’t matter. The ass! 

“Apologize to her,” Lee demanded in a low. “Uh, yeah; how ‘bout no?” “You can’t talk to people like that!” “Dude, she’s not a person; she’s a chick.” “Lee!” I felt my heart skip a beat as Lee’s hands clenched into fists. But before he could get a swing in, Duke was suddenly tackled to the ground by someone else. We both opened our eyes to see Noah pinning him to the ground. By now, a substantial crowd was gathering around but I didn’t care or even notice. I watched in absolute horror as Noah raised his strong fist into the air. 

Realizing what his brother was about to do, Lee immediately intervened. “Noah! Noah, stop!” He called out in a desperate voice. This made him pause for a second to glance back at us. Lee held out his hand at me. “She’s right there!” I don’t…….. I don’t know what he thought this would do. Noah never seemed to care if I was present for one of his fights or not; he just fought without thinking I thought. But, to my utter shock, Noah hesitated and with his fist still high up, he gazed over at me. 

Duke took the opportunity to punch Noah in the stomach, sending him down in pain. “Noah!” I cried, trying to make a run to his side. We were all stopped however by the sound of the principle’s authoritative voice enter the area. “Knock it off! I said knock it off!” Within seconds, both Noah and Duke were up in each of his hands. “Now you four in my office!” “U-us?” Lee spoke for both of us. “Now!” He got a head start, dragging the boys along with him. There were still a lot of people standing around, casually observing, which the principle didn’t like. “Everyone, homeroom now!” He then escorted all of us straight to his office. 

We saw the principle individually, with Duke first and Lee second. We were sitting together, holding each other’s hands when he was called in. “Don’t worry,” he said to me before going. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We’re not gonna get in trouble.” “Flynn, now!” Letting go of my hand, I watched Lee go into the office and shut the door behind him, effectively leaving me and Noah in the waiting room alone. 

Neither of us said anything right away, keeping our gazes locked forward. Eventually, I peered at Noah through the corner of my eye. “A-are you alright?” “What?” Noah shot me a small smirk. “You think that asshat could really hurt me?” I didn’t say anything. A pregnant pause passed between us. “Thank you,” I finally spoke again. “For what?” “For not hitting him, at least in front of me.” “Does it really bother you that much when I fight?” That’s a dumb question, I glanced away but didn’t say it out loud. Noah watched me for a moment before turning his head back forward too. 

“Listen, I need you to do something for me.” “What?” He’s never asked me to do anything for him before. “I need you to tell me if Tupin ever talks to you or even looks at you again.” “W-why?!” This seemed like a strange request. “I heard what he said to you,” Noah admitted; he wasn’t looking at me but staring off into nowhere as if to be remembering something unpleasant. “And I don’t want a loser like him anywhere near you. If he ever does anything like that again, you tell me; you understand?” I didn’t understand. “Isn’t that my decision?” I added, not sure how effective it would be. “Sorry, babe,” Noah smirked a tad before his face reverted back his serious expression. “But I mean it. He either talks to you with respect, or he doesn’t talk to you at all.” 

This made me look at Noah- just look at him- for a long minute. He’d never said anything like that to me before; no one had. He also stared back at me, though not in a creepy way; more of an admiring way. Wait, did Noah admire me? Him? Bad boy Noah? Admire me? That didn’t make any sense. But I didn’t have time to think about it when the principle’s door reopened. Lee came out and I jumped to feet, meeting him half way down the room in a hug. “It’s ok,” he repeated again and again in my ear. “It’ll be ok.” 

“Alright, break it up, you two,” I could practically feel the principle’s eyes roll from here. “Miss Evans,” he then motioned for me to come inside. Lee looked a little apprehensive to let me go but to our surprise, it was Noah who spoke up. He stood up from his chair to address the principle. “Sir, Elle did nothing wrong. Duke said some inappropriate things to her and I stepped in……. albeit more aggressively than I should have but still, it’s not her fault.”  
Lee and I looked from Noah to the principle, still confused as to what was happening. Was Noah defending me? The principle gave his attention to Noah for a long time, twiddling with his thumbs in his clasped hands in front of him. We all held our breathes when he finally turned to me. “Is that what happened, Miss Evans?” “Yes,” both Lee and Noah said at the same time before I had a chance to talk. “Miss Evans?” After giving them a look, he asked me again. “Uh y-yes, that’s true.” “Alright then,” he then turned to Noah. “Mr. Flynn, in my office.” Lee and I watched as he grabbed his bag and headed to the door. Before going inside he gave Lee a look. “Make sure she gets to class ok.” “Always do,” though I heard the surprise in Lee’s tone. With one last smile at me, Noah went inside shutting the door behind him. Neither of us said anything for a minute afterwards, staring at the wood of the door a sort of awe. Then Lee turned to me. “What was that?” “I……. I don’t know.”


	3. Fundraising Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The OMG girls talk to you for the first time before you and Lee go shirt-shopping.

I sat in the cafeteria waiting for Lee; he had to go get something he forgot in the science lab. I should have been eating my lunch but……. for some bizarre reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Noah said earlier. That was the first time he’d ever stuck up for me and what’s more……. he didn’t punch Duke…….. because, as Lee pointed out to him, I was there. I’ve seen him start plenty of fights before but never refuse to engage in one……. because he knew I was watching. 

I just sat there twiddling with my cafeteria noodles when all of a sudden, these three really popular girls entered the room; not that I noticed. I wasn’t into the whole “popularity” thing; more into the “get into a good university” thing. But they did attention when they unexpectedly sat down at my table across from me. I didn’t know their names and I didn’t really care; they all looked the same to me. Sure, they were pretty but that won’t get you into college. In a strange way, this almost made me feel a bit sorry for them. Life was going to be hard for them after high school; very hard. But they didn’t seem to know or care about that. They just looked at me with their shallow, vacant expressions. 

“Uh, hi. Who are you again?” “Why?” I asked, doing an internal eyeroll. “Heh, well, we’re only interested because a certain someone seems to be interested in you.” “No one’s interested in me,” I retorted flatly; most girls would see this as a bad thing but I actually preferred it this way. Besides, I had Lee. “Oh, yes there is. You saw this fight this morning.” “There was no fight this morning; Noah didn’t punch anyone.” “I’m not talking about Noah,” the brunette stated. “Though he is super-hot,” the other black-hair one added. “So hot! I’d so drop my panties for him,” said the third. Well that makes one of us, I actually rolled my eyes this time.

“No, I didn’t mean Noah,” brunette continued. “Duke likes you.” “Duke?! You mean that sexist idiot?” “Uh, I think you mean ultra-hot quarter back, loser.” “You want him? Seriously, him? You can have him!” I chuckled to myself. Yep, these women were in for very hard lives in the future, especially if they chased “bad boys” like Duke. “Wait?” They all blinked at me confused. “So, you’re really not into Duke?” “No! I’d like to think I have higher standards.” “So are you saying we have low standards?” Brunette folded her arms. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” my hand lifted to my head. Ugh, these little idiots……. 

They scanned my face for a second to see if I was being honest, which I was. Then they stood up and turned to leave. “Whatever, loser. Just stay away from Duke; he’s mine.” “Good! Good for you! I hope you two are very happy together.” “Bitch,” she muttered under her breath as they left my table. Thank god! I thought they’d never leave. Luckily, Lee arrived just as they exited the room. He looked back at them then at me with confusion. “Did the bobble-heads just talk to you?” “I wouldn’t call it talking,” I smirked over at him as he sat down across from me. “I don’t think they know what a “conversation” is, let alone how to have one.” “Heh,” he smiled back at me. “So what did they want?” “Oh, they warned me to say away from Duke.” “Really?! Duke? They know how he treats women, right?” “Apparently blatant sexism isn’t a deal-breaker.” 

“Oh……. well, they can have him! There’s no way I’d ever let Duke get anywhere near you.” “Thank you, Lee.” I was about to add how Noah said something similar earlier but found myself hesitating for some reason. Maybe I didn’t want Lee’s efforts to feel secondary, which they weren’t! “Men need to treat you with respect; no exceptions.” “Thank you……” Noah said something to that affect as well……… 

Lee and I didn’t discuss it again. We went clothes shopping after school; Lee was in need- or want- of a new fall shirt. “What do you think?” He came out of the changing room in a lovely blue sweater. I smiled up at him. “Lee, darling; you look stunning in everything. Every color is your color.” “You’re wonderful,” he mirrored my pleasant expression. “What are you doing on your phone?” “Oh,” I was sifting through the internet, which was painfully fruitless. “Trying to find an idea of our club’s fundraiser.” “Oh, well what about that strength game? The one with the hammer and the bell?” “It’s a good idea only…… we don’t have the money are any special equipment,” I sighed, feeling more than a little ready to throw my phone at the wall in frustration. 

“What about a dunking booth? The school already has everything for that,” my beloved Lee returned to the change room. “I think the swimming team already picked it.” “Damn!” He then emerged in a red flannel shirt. “Divine,” this was met with yet another smile; we did that a lot around each other. “I wanna get a date with Charlie to the dance.” “Charlie? That wonderful man from the basketball team? Yes! He’s perfect for you; a true gentleman and really good grades.” “Good, I’d only ask if you approved.” “I do; 100%!” “Thanks, Elle,” with one last grin, he reverted back into the changing room. “Now I just gotta find some way to ask him out.” “It’s a common problem among young lovers, I’m sure. If only our booth could make it easier………” 

“That’s it!” I flinched as a frantic Lee stumbled out of the change room two seconds later. “Kissing booth! We should do a kissing booth!” “A kissing booth? That’s a dumb idea,” I frowned. “No, it’s perfect, Elle. People will pay to kiss each other; what high-schooler wouldn’t want to do that?” I stood up and placed my hand on my hip, tilting my head a little. “Oh…… right. Well, ok; how about this? We’ll give people uh, say, three options: kiss on the cheek, kiss on the forehead, or kiss on the lips. That way, it’ll be way less creepy to someone like you.” 

“I don’t know, Lee……. That’s better but………” “Hey,” my best friend came over to place both hands on my shoulders so to make me look him straight in the eye. “No one’s gonna kiss you if you don’t want to get kissed, alright? This isn’t something perverted or weird; it’s totally consensual with two willing participants. If you don’t want to participate, no one’s gonna make you, ok?” “Mmmmmm ok,” a soft grin passed my lips. “But we still need student council to approval it.” “They will,” he noted. “Just leave that to me.”


	4. No Boobs Are Worth A Broken Nose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Lee have a special moment, only for Duke to completely ruin your day.

I was at my locker the next morning, fetching the textbooks I would need for the day before homeroom. Lee told me he would meet in class. While busying myself inside my locker a very familiar and unwelcomed voice came my way. “Hey.” Oh god, I didn’t even have to look behind me to know who it was. Mr. Misogynist himself. “Can we talk?” “No,” I instantly shot him down, not even turning back to see him. “Look, I’m sorry. I was out of line with what I said.” “No, no- you’re not,” closing my locker, I finally made myself look at his gross face. “You’re not sorry and what’s worse, you actually believe the things you said to me. I’m not a person to you; I’m a skirt, and no apology will convince me otherwise.” 

Duke just looked at me for a long moment before letting out a smirk- an arrogant, cocky smirk. “See? See, that’s why I like about you. You’re not easy to please; a challenge……..” His tongue ran over his bottom lip disgustingly. “A hot challenge.” “Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” I demanded as I started to march down the hall. The moron just wouldn’t take “no” for an answer though. “Why? Because you’re embarrassed that you secretly like it?” What a pig. “Come on, Elle. What do I have to do to get your number?” “Nothing, because you will never get it.” “You know, most girls would just make me put on a short girly skirt or something like that.” “I’m not most girls.” “Obviously.” 

Ugh, stop following me. I don’t care how “hot” every other girl in the whole damn school says you are; I am not interested. “There’s gotta be something.” “Have you heard of something called “dignity”? It’s what I have and you lack. The only way you could ever persuade me that you’re a decent person, let alone date-worthy material, is if you never said or did a sexist thing again.” “Just because I say the obvious, it automatically makes me a “sexist”.” “Get away from me!” I almost started running down the hall, I wanted to get away from him that bad. I was rushing so fast that I failed to see Noah turning the corner I just past. He looked at me then back at Duke; I don’t know what happened after that. 

“We need to report him. He can’t get away with talking to you like that,” Lee was not at all impressed when I told him about my earlier encounter. “And the worst part is, he doesn’t realize what’s wrong with what he’s saying.” We were eating lunch outside in the campus gardens together. “I just hope he never talks to me again.” “You and me both. You’re too good for him, Elle.” “Thanks,” I flashed Lee a tender smile. 

A moment of silence passed between us as we kept eating- eating and thinking. Eventually, I gazed up at the sky in a wistfully kind of way. “Things are changing, huh? We’re getting older; dating is a part of older life…….” “Elle,” Lee glanced over to me. “Are you seriously ok with me and Charlie? I mean when I eventually ask him out and if he says yes?” “Oh yes,” my eyes met his. “Yes, this is right, Lee. If it’s what you want……” “Heh, I don’t know if I’ll feel the same when you finally meet someone,” his gaze wandered off into nowhere while his head gave a little shake. “You’re so good, Elle; too good……. I’d marry you in a heartbeat if I was straight.” “I’d marry you too, Lee. I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone as much as I love you.” 

Smiling tenderly, his pale hand reached over to gently caress my cheek. “You’re like a sister to me. I couldn’t bear to see anything bad happen to you……. and I know that no man will ever be good enough for you.” “You really mean that, Lee?” “I do,” his hand then lowered to lift mine into it. “You need someone who will be his best self for you.” “Mom said something like that, back when I was a kid. It ironically happened after Noah’s first fight. She said: no man will ever change for me, but the right man will be better for me.” “Wise words,” Lee and I gave each other’s hands a squeeze while smiling at the other. A short, sweet moment passed like this. “I love you, Elle.” “I love you, Lee.” Yes, I did; I adored this man, this brother to me. 

As usual, Lee and I went to the Royal Mile after school. He thought fudge would cheer me up and he was 110% correct. While walking down the road, arm-in-arm of course, I felt Lee give a little tug when we were near the corner. “Lee?” I blinked up at him in slight surprise. He wasn’t looking at me; he was looking at none other than Duke. I felt my heart sink with dread as he came directly our way. “Lee, come on; I wanna go.” “Alright, let’s go.” “Elle!” Too late. Ugh! Would this guy just leave me alone already? I think this was pissing Lee off more than me. 

Pushing me behind him, Lee got immediately in between us. “Get lost, Tupin.” “I want to talk to Elle.” “Well she’s got nothing to say to you, so beat it. Your narrow mind isn’t welcome here.” “Look, I came here to apologize.” “Two in one day; must be a record for you,” I crossed my arms, still staying securely behind Lee. Duke sighed like this was actual work for him and rolled his vacant eyes. “I know women are people and you’re equal and I’m “supposed” to respect your feminist views and…… ugh, what else did he want me to say?” “Who wanted you to say?” Lee raised a curious eyebrow, while still being majorly unimpressed. 

Duke let out another long sigh. “Flynn told me to “apologize” for the way I talked to you earlier.” “Noah?” Lee and I looked at each other. “Yep.” “I don’t understand……..” “He said something about respecting you and a bunch of girly stuff like that. Oh! I mean “sensitive”.” “You’re a creep. You know that?” Lee frowned at him. “Whatever, gaylord. Just don't tell him I told you that he made me say I’m sorry.” “Why do you care?” I asked, affronted. “No boobs are worth a broken nose.” “Get lost!” Lee angrily turned to take me by the arm and practically drag me up the street. “The nerve of that asshole! I hate him!” “L-Lee! Are you alright?” “We’re going to have a talk with someone- now!”


	5. Breakfast with the Flynns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have breakfast with your best friend's family.

I watched a furious Lee stomp back and forth as he spoke to Noah on the phone. Meanwhile, I sat on the bed meekly, a little confused by tonight’s events as well. “Who do you think you are, telling people they can’t talk to Elle?! You have no right to butt into her life like that!” A moment of silence while Noah replied. “I don’t care if you want to protect her! And since when did you care about that? In case you didn’t know bro’, protecting Elle is MY job! Me! I’m her best friend!” Another pause. “It can’t be your job too! Do you know how creepy you sound right now? Ugh!” 

Having enough of his brother’s antics, Lee hung up without warning. He tossed the phone onto the bed before kicking his feet in anger. “The nerve of that guy! That….. that jerk!” “What did he say?” I ventured to ask. Lee looked like he was debating over what to tell me. “Oh, nothing. Just some really insane crap like “I want to protect her” and “I want to make sure she’s treated with the respect she deserves”.” “That’s insane crap?” My eyebrow rose. “No,” Lee sat down beside me. “But I don’t get why he’s saying that; it’s weird. It’s almost like he has a thing for you or something.” “Noah doesn’t like me, Lee,” I gazed off into nowhere thoughtfully. “I’m not his type; he needs a “bad girl”. Not a bookworm, boring girl like me.” “Boring?” Lee flashed me a perky smile. “You’re not boring.” “I don’t drink, or party, or like anything mainstream.” “So?” My best friend took the opportunity to brush some stray hairs off my cheek. “If anything, that makes you less boring; definitely not more.” “Thanks Lee,” I placed my hand tenderly over his. If I trusted anyone’s judgement, it was his. 

The proposal for the kissing booth went over pretty smoothly the next day. We presented Lee’s “brilliant” idea to the committee, which had one of the OMG girls on it. They agreed without much protest; no such requests like “Noah or Tupin” working the booth, which would be creepy if they did ask. Everything was going along first rate, meaning that Lee and I could enjoy our weekend worry-free. 

On Sunday, like every Sunday, our families got together at the seaside in Lilith for high tea. I arrived with Mom and Daddy first; we got the same table as we always did. The Flynns came a few minutes later. Our moms shrieked and ran into an embrace while Lee and I also hugged. It was only then that I noticed Noah coming up behind him. Trying not to be awkward about the whole Tupin thing, I greeted him with a friendly wordless smile before sitting down next to Lee. Our moms started talking and didn’t stop, leaving the rest of us to mingle amongst ourselves. Daddy was the first to start. 

“So Noah, I haven’t seen you since you got back from Football camp.” Here meaning European football; not American. “Coach got you starting again?” “Well,” Lee’s Dad looked at his son. “He’ll be lucky if he makes it through the season. He goes and gets into a fight on the first day of school.” Lee and I gazed at each other and then I turned my head to Daddy’s. “Well actually, Noah didn’t fight anyone; well he didn’t hit anyone,” I politely interrupted their conversation; Lee kept his hand over top of mine the whole time. “Really?” “Yes, he uh…… well some guy was pushing us around and Noah stepped in,” I didn’t sound as confident as I’d hoped; I was really embarrassed all of a sudden. Daddy blinked from me back to Noah. “Is that what happened?” And then Noah looked at me; he watched me for a good second before responding. “Yes sir,” he nodded, though his eyes were still locked onto me. This only made me blush harder, which I’m sure everyone noticed. Though I don’t know why I was blushing. I had no idea……


	6. Walk Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah offers to walk you home.

I didn’t know how to feel about Noah after that breakfast. Maybe Lee was right and he was developing some regard for me. That….. was not a good thing. Noah and I were total opposites; the bad boy and the good girl. And while those types of stories might work out on paper but very rarely in real life. I was too smart to be hopeful for anything different. So if Noah had even the slightest affection for me, I had to nip it in the bud. The only problem was that I had no idea how to do that. 

It helped however, when on Monday after school, I exited to see Noah busy talking with three other girls. Ok good! He’s distracted; I can sneak by without him seeing me. That way I’ll avoid any awkward situations. I had almost made it by until…… “Hey Elle!” Oh shoot! Wincing, I paused to spin around, only to see Noah leave the girls to come over to me. “Need a ride?” “Uh n-no thank you. I’m going to walk home with Lee.” “Lee’s busy with the council. I don’t mind giving you a ride home.” “I…… I really appreciate that, Noah, but uh………” “Oh come on, have you ever been on a motorcycle before?” He flashed a cocky smirk. “Certainly not!” I said slightly affronted. What kind of girl did he think I was? Someone who would ride a motorcycle without the proper wear on? But I knew what this was. This wasn’t trying to get me to ride on a bike because it’s a bike; it was a show of masculinity- pure masculinity. And I was having none of it. That was not a turn-on to me. 

“Sorry, Noah, but if Lee’s not available then I’m going to walk home.” “Look, I have a spare helmet; you’ll be fine,” Noah tried to reason. “No. It’s simply not safe. Now if you’ll excuse me.” “If you’ll just get on the damn bike please.” Oh yeah, that’s attractive. “Goodbye, Noah,” I brushed past him. He watched me for a minute, mulling to himself about the situation and running his tongue along his teeth inside his mouth. Then his head gave a light shake and he chuckled to himself. “Alright, alright you win.” “I beg your pardon?” I checked back to him over my shoulder. Noah came over to me, still smiling. “I’ll walk you home.” “R-really?” I blinked bewildered. “Are you more comfortable walking?” “Yes?” “Then that’s what we’ll do,” Noah’s eyes shown down at mine. 

I flinched when his arm suddenly extended out towards me and I gazed up surprised. His grin only widened. “Isn’t this what gentlemen are supposed to do? Offer their arm or something?” I didn’t say anything, just kept staring at him. “You and Lee link arms all the time; that’s where I learned it,” he admitted. Ah, I see. “You see yourself as a gentleman?” I asked in a timid voice. “Not usually but for you, I’ll make the exception,” he answered kindly; not cockily, kindly. And this made me smile as I wrapped my arm around his. This definitely caught attention but neither of us noticed nor cared. It was the first time Noah escorted me anywhere and I hated to admit it, but I did feel safe with him. Even if I knew I shouldn’t have.


	7. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You do not have a fun time at Noah's party.

I dreaded going to Noah’s party; I hate parties in general. I’d much prefer to just spend the night home with Lee, watching a movie and eating popcorn. But I promised Lee I would go, despite his protests. I refused to let him endure this endeavor alone. To make sure nothing bad happened, I brought my own drink- a canaster of tea which I would always keep on my person- and wore sweat pants and a male t-shirt. No one would want me like this; or so I thought. 

The party was disgusting, with people making out around the pool, drinking and grinding in public, and intoxication. Ugh! It was horrible! My poor Lee was busy trying to keep the house intact, which I helped him with however I could. Luckily for Lee, his potential bae, Charlie, hadn’t come tonight. This allowed Lee to give his full attention to the house. And he needed to, since everyone was there, including the OMG girls. But Duke was nowhere to be seen; thank goodness. 

The OMG girls were getting sloshed on something they said tasted like grape. I rolled my eyes; oh that’s a good idea. And they weren’t the only ones. Lee was losing his patience quickly. He marched over to me after screaming at some people to stop jumping down the staircase. “This is ridiculous! This isn’t even MY party! Where’s Noah?!” “I don’t know,” I shrugged as I cleaned up some used red plastic cups. “If you see him, tell him that A) I hate him, and B) I’m doing his job.” “Will do,” I gave him a sympathetic smile. Lee looked at me for a second before reaching over to gently brush a few hairs off my cheek. “I’m sorry, Elle. You shouldn’t have to be here.” “Thank you, Lee. But I don’t mind; I just wanna help you.” With one last smile, Lee pulled back his hand and turned back to the party. There wasn’t much time to be affectionate right now; not with this chao. “Hey! Put that down! It’s my mom’s!” He went rushing into the living room. 

I didn’t see Noah since I arrived. I just assumed he was off with his mates somewhere; probably drinking. Lee and I meanwhile, spent three hours straight trying to keep the place from bursting into flames or crumbling into rumble. I had to talk to the police when there was a noise complaint by one of the neighbours, which was beyond humiliating. After that, I was exhausted, and Lee noticed. “Elle,” he pulled me off to the side when we had a spare minute. “Why don’t you go lay down?” “I-I can’t……. the party’s still…….” I replied tiredly; I could barely keep my eyes open. “Go,” he bent over to kiss my forehead. “Go lay down in my room; I’ll sleep on the couch.” “But I……” “It’ll be fine. No one will bother you in there.” “Ok,” reassured, I made my way up the stairs. I was so tired that I practically through myself onto the bed, falling instantly asleep. 

I don’t know what time the bedroom door opened; it barely woke me up. My eyes didn’t even open but the light from the hallway was enough to wake me. “What’s this room?” Someone slurred; I didn’t recognize the voice. “Whoa dude! There’s a chick in here!” He yelled in his drunken stupor. I wasn’t awake enough to realize what was happening when he took a step into the room. “Hehe, and she’s blacked out it looks like,” there was malice in his tone. I don’t know what happened next but there was sudden ruffling near me. “Hey! What are you?!” The guy yelled like someone had grabbed him. More yelling and banging. Then the door slammed, and I fell asleep again. 

The next time I woke up, there was pounding on the bedroom door. It was still dark out; presumably the middle of the night. I didn’t open my eyes so I didn’t see the other presence in the room, though I could sense someone was here. More pounding and knocking on the wooden door. “Come on, dude! Open up!” “It’s supposed to be twenty minutes max!” “Yeah! We have people to fuck too, you know!” I didn’t know any of those voices. “I don’t care!” The person inside the room shouted back, alarming me a little. “So long as she’s in here, that door stays shut!” 

I recognize that voice! I didn’t have to open my eyes to know. That sounded like Noah! Wait, was he in here with me? I wanted to make myself open my eyes but was simply too tired to even try. Instead I laid there unmoving and listening for a few moments. It was difficult to fall back to sleep with all that knocking and shouting going on. “How long does it take to screw her?! Is she wearing a corset or something?” “Yeah! One fuck at a time! We wanna a turn!” Oh, I get it; they wanted to use Lee’s room to sleep with someone. That’s why they were mad. Noah didn’t sound happy either. “If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna throw you out myself! Door’s stays closed, got it?!” “Alright, alright! You dick!” I don’t know how Noah replied to that. I passed out moments later and didn’t wake until next morning. When I did, I found myself in the room alone. Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I glanced around only to find a chair sitting beside the bed. 

A chair? I blinked down at it confusedly. What’s this doing here? Then I remembered Noah’s voice last night. Wait, did Noah sit in here with me? Did…… did he leave his party just to stay with me? Watch over me while I slept? My cheeks couldn’t help but sizzle as I reached over to gently touch the seat of the chair. He…… watched over me. And he didn’t touch me because my clothes were completely intact. Noah, my lips parted a little. That’s…… the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.


End file.
